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J. F. CRAWFORD.

MECHANISM FOR RAISING AND DROPPING WEIGHTS.

I Patented June13,1876.

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UNITED STATEs.

PATENT FFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN MECHANISMS FOR RAISING AND DROPPING WEIGHTS:

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 178,600, dated June 13,1876; application filed May 16, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH F. QRAWFORD, of Uazenovia, in the county ofMadison and State of New York, have-invented certain Improvements inMechanism for Raising and Dropping Weights, of which the following is aspecification:

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby a weight may beraised to any desired height and suddenly dropped; and to this end itconsists-in the combination of a vibrating lever with certain mechanicaldevices, through the instrumentality of which the leveroperates andcontrols a drum, on which is wound a chain sustaining the weight.

Figure 1 represents a face view of my apparatus in the act of raisingthe weight; Fig. 2, a similar view of the apparatus during the descentof the weight; Fig. 3, a sideor edge View of the apparatus.

A represents the weight, which is attached to the lower end of a chainor rope, B, which latter is attached at its upper end to a drum or.windlass, 0, as shown. E represents a ratchet-wheel, secured to theshaft or journal of the drum, and F a vibratory lever, having its lowerend forked or split, and mounted loosely on the journal of the drum,astride the ratchet-wheel, as shown in Fig. 3. G represents a pawl,pivoted in the lower end of the lever, to engage with and turn theratchet wheel, and H represents a second pawl, mounted on the frame ofthe apparatus, and engaging with the ratchet-wheel, to hold it fromturning backward as the lever and its pawl recede, a spring, I, beingmounted on the frame to keep the pawl H in action.

The pawl G is extended upward beyond its pivot, and has its upper endmade of such weight as to keep the lower end in contact with theratchet-wheel,and,as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, this weighted upper end ofthe pawl is curved over to one side past the lever, so that, uponthrowing the lever backward past a perpendicular, the weighted end ofthe pawl will fall and disengage the lower end from the ratchetwheelautomatically, leaving the ratchet and drum free to turn backward whenthe ratchet G is disengaged.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the pawl H has its end extended upward aboveits pivot, so

that, when the lever is thrown backward to release the pawl Gr, itstrikes against the pawl H and releases it also, thereby permitting thechain to unwind, and the weight to fall.

In" operating the apparatus, the lever is moved up and down until theweight reaches the desired height, when the lever is thrown back pastthe perpendicular, and the weight thereby released and permitted tofall.

The apparatus, constructed as above, is cheap, simple, and reliable, andwill be found of great service in many places, and for the variouspurposeswhich require the raising of weights and their fall fromditl'erent heights.

It is obvious that the lever may be operated by hand, or by any suitablearrangement of mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- *1. The combinationof the ratchet-wheel E, vibrating lever F, and the pawl Gr, pivoted tosaid-lever, and provided with the weighted end, whereby it is caused torelease automatically, as shown and described.

2. The combination of the ratchet-wheel E,

lever F, and dog or pawl Gr, constructed as d scribed, with the spring Iand pawl H, the latter arranged to be disengaged by the lever,substantially as shown and described.

3. The herein'described apparatus for raising and dropping weights,consisting of the drum 0, provided with the weight-sustaining rope B andratchet-Wheel E, the vibrating lever F, provided with the pawl G and thepawl H, combined and arranged to operate in the manner shown anddescribed.

JOSEPH F. CRAWFORD.

